New info from Pacers' board.

[mrhonline]

This guy is highly regarded on Pacersdigest.com (although his spelling is horrible). If his info in accurate and I were Billy Knight, I would be calling the Lakers. Al is worth more than a 2008 protected 1st:

Quote:

---

Billy and Donnie came to a standstill on the agreement and it was very much a stalemate. Therefore the deal was pretty much broken off because Billy and Donnie were both so stubborn.

The reason that they did not agree was because

Donnie offered a 2008 1st rounder and around 1.5 million in cash. Billy wanted an unprotected 2007 1st rounder and between 2.5 and 3 million in cash. Donnie wouldn't budge, so the deal just floated in limbo.

[spectulation] This is why Al then fired his agent, because the deal had been stopped. He wanted to get the deal done so he could start training w/ his new team. Arn Tellem has much more pull when it comes to making deals, because he has such high-sought clients.[spectulation/]

As of right now, the two teams are basically starting over with the deal, but with nearly the same components. The major differences are expected to be the type of pick, and the ammount of cash given to Atlanta and Al. Al may have to end up taking less cash to play for Indiana, but with Arn being his agent now, I think that is highly unlikely.

However, Billy Knight may have stabbed himself in the foot with this one, because Al and Tellem are dead set on getting a deal done. Atlanta may have to except a protected 2008 1st, a protected 2009 1st, or maybe even two 2nd rounders instead of a 2007 1st. Plus the money exchanged in the deal would probably be substancially less. Guessing....in the 500,000-1.5 million dollar range.

---

[Packfill]

Who will blink first?

At this point, I am going to consider Al gone and anything the team gets for him is a bonus.

[gsuteke]

i totally disagree. Billy Knight holds all the cards in this situation.

the argument being made on this board that Tellum holds leverage over Billy Knight just doesn't hold water.

if Billy Knight has an ounce of professionalism in his body he will not accept anything less than the deal that is most beneficial for the Hawks.

ultimately it's the Atlanta Spirit that signs BK's checks and he is ultimately accountable to them and them only.

[gsuteke]

excuse me i disagree with the Indiana poster's message.

if I'm Billy Knight I was on the phone with other teams over a week ago trying to move in a different direction.

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

---

i totally disagree. Billy Knight holds all the cards in this situation.

the argument being made on this board that Tellum holds leverage over Billy Knight just doesn't hold water.

if Billy Knight has an ounce of professionalism in his body he will not accept anything less than the deal that is most beneficial for the Hawks.

ultimately it's the Atlanta Spirit that signs BK's checks and he is ultimately accountable to them and them only.

---

Personally, I don't think Billy would be scared if Arn... Billy seems like that type of guy... A guy that will do whatever the h*ll he wants, right or wrong...

[Sothron]

I would like to think if we could get Bynum from the Lakers we would do that over taking a 2008 first rounder, not even a 2007 first rounder.

[chillzatl]

I agree completely. the notion that BK isn't sitting comfortably in the drivers seat is laughable. It's Tellums job to get Al the biggest deal possible (it's also in his best interest, as he is paid on commission) and that isn't an MLE. The ONLY way to make that happen is to let Billy find what he wants. Everyone knows that Al will get his money and he will likely go to the Pacers. It's possible there may be another team thrown into the mix in order to get BK what he wants. But the deal will get done. There is no such thing as an all powerful agent.

[Lascar78]

yup. Which is why I think he is great for negotiations. I think he really has a feel for when he can get away with something or not. I.e. he knew he could get zaza, wright, other people, but knew he had to pony up for JJ. He will get the best for Al. If we trade him to Indy, we will get a 2007 pick.

That "I don't give a sh!t" trait is not so good for appeasing the fans though...

[Guest Walter]

Quote:

---

I would like to think if we could get Bynum from the Lakers we would do that over taking a 2008 first rounder, not even a 2007 first rounder.

---

Amen!

We cannot be afraid of making a bad move in terms of talent-equity because everything else favors our improving the team dramatically with this deal. We will never find such a combination of the right player for our team, one so rare who is available, one who is a catalyst freeing up our other players and, like a true Pg on the other end of the spectrum, making them better; a deal in which we don't have to take on any contracts we don't want past next year and one that so provides a direction for our team.

A solitary giant who controls the lane, 3 long athletic gems, a small "Speedy" Pg, and a secondary Bull (SW) and great BU C (ZaZa) when things get rough. Teams will see us as the model for a rebuilt team. They can do everything and have potential everywhere. When polls about the best rebuilt team are brought up in other forums people will point to our method of success. "They compounded talent at forward, which I thought was a mistake, but they sought opportunity in the face of adversity (losing Al for little and Childress as a benchwarmer, future FA for another team), all with little risk (getting a potential dominant big man who will always have value and no long-term contracts). As soon as they did that I knew they had arrived."

I don't understand the resistance on this sight. We have so much to gain and so little to lose OF ACTUAL VALUE TO THE TEAM with such a deal and instead we're focusing on whether the protected pick is in 2007 or 2008 and whether we get $1.5 or $3 million dollars in compensation. Now that's weak, uninspired thinking that will never get us anywhere near a title.

W

[DrReality]

The amount of freedom that BK has depends upon the latitude that the owners give him. If they are constraining him by not taking back any players, then that would put Indy in the driver's seat. If they don't handcuff him he has a lot more leverage.

And if by some wild stretch of the imagination we get Bynum, why would we need a first round pick. He's it.

[bisonblu]

What a ridiculous post?

Yes, agents have influence over players and teams to a degree, but to think Arn Tellum could force BK, who wouldnt even shake Brokeback Belkin's hand, to take some bogus future picks and still sign his client to a $10M per deal when no other team in the league will?

Wake up, its 2006 not Uncle Remus.

[Buzzard]

Quote:

---

And if by some wild stretch of the imagination we get Bynum, why would we need a first round pick. He's it.

---

I agree that Bynum would be the same as getting a 1st rounder next year. It is making the money work that I find hard to fathom when it comes to a deal with the Lakers. I would love it but I just don't see how they make it work.

As far as BK "having" to take a deal, that's ridiculous. BK aint gotta take [censored]! Al wants to risk injury and accept the mid level? I don't think so; and him taking on a new agent is proof of that.

BK is in the drivers seat; and its obvious he is going to stick to his guns or he already would have budged or worse, for all parties concerned, Al would have already accepted a mid level from someone.